September 10, 2010: PeopleMover

[Werner Weiss]

How about a leisurely, elevated 16-minute ride through Tomorrowland?

Link to People Mover at Yesterland.

Please discuss the PeopleMover here.

[Disneyland Limited]

Simply put, there is no single ride from the past that I miss more than the PeopleMover at Disneyland. After a long day of walking around, or even when you just wanted to take a break, it was the most relaxing 16 minutes of the day. If they're not going to put something there, could they at least take down the track and stop rubbing salt in the wound?

[mark]

So appreciate this article and the "time warp" photos- thanks, Werner!

[Chernabog]

Boy do I miss the peoplemover..... I remember being so freaked out in the World of Tron because it was SO FRIGGIN LOUD!

Oh, and there's a small typo in the article, where it says "On June 29, 1997—just a few days before the PeopleMover opened—Bob Thomas, Auto Editor of the Los Angeles Times, wrote about the seeming conflict:".... I think the date is supposed to say 1967, not 1997

[SorcererMickey54]

"If you still want to take a ride on the PeopleMover, you might consider a trip to..." Sorcerer's Workshop.org, where you can listen to the attraction spiels from three different version, spanning the years from 1972 to 1976.

[Aladdin]

And don't forget to mention that the people mover went through the Star Tours queue, when that attraction opened/replace Adventure thru Innerspace

[Werner Weiss]

Oh, and there's a small typo in the article, where it says "On June 29, 1997—just a few days before the PeopleMover opened—Bob Thomas, Auto Editor of the Los Angeles Times, wrote about the seeming conflict:".... I think the date is supposed to say 1967, not 1997

That's big typo — 30 years big.

Thank you! I fixed it.

[jcruise86]

Even more than the (RIP) Skyway and the train, I loved the kicked back ride on the Peoplemover. Disneyland is beautiful, and this ride helped guests take in the scenery better than any other attraction.

The article also showed how much more inviting the Tomorrowland entrance used to be.

Thank you, Werner!

[RenMan]

It is interesting that those tracks are still there after all these years. Obviously, it takes money and time and effort to remove them, so maybe it's just pure inertia that they're still there, but you have to wonder if there isn't the tiniest possibility that something will go there again.

It's odd that they won't reopen the PeopleMover, if just to help crowd management. I wonder if the installation of the Rocket Rods made going back to the old-school PeopleMover difficult or costly. I mean, at this point it seems like they could put it back for relatively little money - lots of people pine for this ride.

[RenMan]

^ and I'm one who has typically been against the re-opening of the PM because it would be backward- rather than forward-looking.

[Disneyland Limited]

I wonder if the installation of the Rocket Rods made going back to the old-school PeopleMover difficult or costly. I mean, at this point it seems like they could put it back for relatively little money - lots of people pine for this ride.

Unfortunately, what the installation of the Rocket Rods did was take the PeopleMover out of its "grandfathered" status with OSHA. On the original ride, it was fairly easy for people to jump out of the cars (and sometimes die from their stupidity, hence the nickname "The People ReMover). Also, going through the Star Tours/CircleVision Theatre sections, people could reach out and touch the walls because those areas were so tight.

Putting the old ride back in would mean making it OSHA-compliant, meaning that new cars would have to be designed and built to protect the riders, sometimes from themselves. If the trials and tribulations of the new Monorails a couple of years ago are any indication, that's not such a simple or inexpensive thing to do. I would also think that they'd have to do extensive refurbishment to the track since it's been lying dormant for so long.

[MickeyMaxx]

The closing of the PeopleMover was a huge loss. The ride was so relaxing, and gave vistas of of Tomorrowland that were wonderful. We always ride the Florida version multiple times every visit. This year, we asked to remain in our car for three go 'rounds. Now that's a break for the old feet!

I've always regretted that I didn't get to ride the predecessor of the PeopleMover at the New York World's Fair, from the front seat of a mid-sixties Ford convertible!

[Werner Weiss]

We always ride the Florida version multiple times every visit.

I enjoy the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) PeopleMover in Florida too.

I try not to be one of those "everything's better at Disneyland" people. But this is case when the California version was better than the Florida version. Sure, the TTA goes in and out of buildings and even offers a view of the Tomorrowland Speedway. But the Disneyland version was more fun, with its track weaving through the Monorail track spaghetti and offering a great view of the clear waters of the Submarine Lagoon. I also liked the trains better. Each train car has its own roof. In Florida, the train cars are open, but there's a roofed track with a constant stream of roof supports in your view; they also make photography very difficult.

On second thought, the Florida version is better because it's still running!

[ttrocc7007]

I loved the People Mover more than any other attraction ever. Every single time I speak with Tony Baxter or any other senior Imagineer, I plead for its return. I have been assured several times by Baxter himself that he feels the same way, and that a PeopleMover is in the works as part of a complete Tommorowland redo. I can only hope I live long enough...

[Princess Victoria]

What a wonderful ride this must have been. Thanks for a great write-up, Werner. I look forward to the day that, hopefully, the PeopleMover makes a return.